Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 (abbreviated L4D2) is a multiplayer co-operative survival horror FPS game developed by Valve Corporation. The game is being built using the Source engine and will be available on PC and Xbox 360 on November 17, 2009 and on November 20, 2009 in Europe. It is the sequel to Left 4 Dead and was first announced by Valve Corporation at Microsoft's E3 '09 press conference on June 1st.June 1, 2009 - By the time you read this, Valve will have announced the existence of Left 4 Dead 2 at Microsoft's E3 press conference, http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html According to Valve, the Infection has spread to the southern United States, where the sequel picks up 1 week after the events of the first game.Left 4 Dead 2 is set in the American South, http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html Left 4 Dead 2 will feature three new Infected (only two of which have been revealed; The Charger was revealed in the E3 '09 trailer and The Spitter on July 20th, 2009), 20 new weapons including melee weapons, new items, upgraded and smarter Infected (such as the hazmat-suited Infected that are immune to fire, the wandering Witch, Infected whose limbs can be taken off) , five new campaigns which are said to connect unlike the original's''there's going to be more of a narrative thread that connects the campaigns this time around, as opposed to just the seemingly random campaigns of the first game., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html, new Survivors, and one new gametype which has not yet been revealed.''There is one new gameplay mode that is not being revealed at this time., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html Just like the original, the game has four Survivors in an apocalyptic pandemic battling against hordes of the Infected. There are four new Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2: Nick, Ellis, Rochelle, and Coach.So there's Nick, the guy in a flashy suit; Ellis, the mechanic; Rochelle, the girl; and Coach, the big guy., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p2.html Another feature which has been announced is new powers to the Director. Instead of just switching up where items and enemies spawn according to how players are doing, it can now completely rearrange the map's layout''The director will also have spatial control over parts of some levels. Yes, it can and will change the layout of the map to challenge you., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html, turning places that would normally be simple into mazes with dead ends. The game will bring players a new gameplay experience with Close Combat weapons that can be found around the campaigns: the Axe, Baseball Bat, Chainsaw, Cricket Bat, and the Frying Pan. These can kill Common Infected in just one hit, but Survivors cannot use any other weapon until they discard these weapons. The close combat weapons are able to kill all the Special Infected except the Tank and the Witch in one hit, but this is not recommended due to the amount of time to reach the Smoker, Hunter, and Charger. Also, hitting a Boomer will cause bile to cover all nearby Survivors.''We played with an axe and a frying pan, but there's going to be a chainsaw and a baseball bat as well., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p2.html There are also new items which can give players certain advantages, such as incendiary bullets which set their target on fire.Finally, there are going to be special items that can give you a temporary boost; in our case we got incendiary rounds that sets zombies aflame when you hit them., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p2.html Unfortunately, once these special items are picked up, they must be used at that time; they cannot be saved for later use. Another change that should be noted is that the melee fatigue system, which was included in only Versus and Survival mode in Left 4 Dead, appears to now have been integrated into Campaign mode in the sequel. Plot , the final campaign in the game.]] The plot is similar to Left 4 Dead; it involves the aftermath of the The Infection 1 week after the events of the previous game, around 3 weeks after the first infection. It is yet unknown how long the storyline in Left 4 Dead is. The story of Left 4 Dead 2 spans five new long campaigns, taking place during the daylight and night''The first thing that surprised us about The Parish is that it takes place in full daylight., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html (possibly meaning that the Survivors' travels to the eventual rescue vehicle take even longer than before), and is set in the Southern United States, starting in Savannah, Georgia and ending up in New Orleans''The story starts in Savannah and works its way to New Orleans., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html, Louisiana. According to Valve employee Chet Faliszek, the Savannah area hasn't yet been hit by the Infection.The Savannah campaign is intriguing because all Chet would say is that it's a city where the zombie infection hasn't hit yet., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html The daylight causes some Infected to act differently, especially the Wandering Witch.It also affects the gameplay, as zombies can behave differently during the day., http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html .]] Four new Survivors replace the original Survivors in their quest to find a safe area where the infection hasn't reached yet: Coach, a high school football coach; Ellis, a teenage boy who used to be a mechanic; Nick, a gambler and conman; and Rochelle, a news reporter. The Survivors will encounter new Infected behavior, such as a wandering Witch, and completely new Infected altogether, like The Charger and The Spitter. There will also be new variants of the Common Infected. Valve has also said that they intend on providing more exposition about what may have caused the zombie apocalypse and to try and connect the narratives of the two Left 4 Dead games. The Cover and Rating The cover of the Left 4 Dead 2 appears to be identical to the original Left 4 Dead cover. The hand was modeled once again by hand model Andrea Wicklund. The idea was to create a hand missing another two fingers along with the famous original missing thumb, resulting in a hand only holding up two fingers, further signifying the number two. The background's color was also changed to a lighter shade of green. Around June 2009 the ESRB told Valve that the new cover is unacceptable, and the idea was changed to tucking the two bitten fingers behind the hand to create the illusion that model's fingers were missing, yet still retaining the missing thumb. * The ESRB was asked why they still allowed the new cover with only one missing finger, yet not accepting three. The ESRB has declined to comment. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/06/01/left-4-dead-2-exclusive-rps-preview/ Decline and Boycott Shortly after Valve's announcement of Left 4 Dead 2, many fans were shocked of the idea due to short period time after the first Left 4 Dead. Hours after the announcement fans gathered together and formed a group called L4D2 Boycott (NO-L4D2); the group reached 10,000 members in one week and 35,000 members in three weeks. The group believes that Left 4 Dead 2 should not be a separate game in order to keep the community one, claiming that releasing a sequel would split the community. Their suggestion is to make Left 4 Dead 2 either an expansion pack that is not full-priced or free downloadable content, citing a lack of new content and also voicing their preference to keep the original Survivors and maps. Many fans were also disappointed that Valve never came through with it's promises for free DLC which it went on record for. Valve has informed the fans that they have been tracking their comments ever since the first announcement on 1st June 2009, and their response were that Left 4 Dead will continue to be supported with downloadable content. This announcement caused some fans to believe that Valve saw the fans of Left 4 Dead as boycotting the sequel only get more free updates and to save money. Valve has also said that they are discussing the matter and are considering importing the original maps into Left 4 Dead 2; nothing regarding the original Survivors was mentioned. Valve has also noted that the boycott was entirely ineffective, ironically doubling pre-order sales of Left 4 Dead 2.http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/03/advocacy-fail-l4d2-pre-order-sales-double-of-original-says-val/ Trivia * Zombies seem to be able to have missing limbs as seen in the trailer, whereas in Left 4 Dead, they die when their limbs are blown off. This could mean that the virus has begun to strengthen its victims to a degree. * The game takes place in the fall as seen in a banner in the beginning of the trailer. * In the trailer, one can see what appears to be the Army bombing the Infected. Infected can also be seen breaking through fenced barriers, implying Valve's statement that New Orleans had been relatively safe from the infection before the events of Left 4 Dead 2. * Hazmat-suit wearing zombies seem to indicate that scientists are trying to work on a cure or tried to prevent getting infected. It has been confirmed by Valve at an interview that these are CEDA workers from posters in the Left 4 Dead. * The Infected seem to be smarter and more aware of their surroundings, as in the trailer they seem to take notice of the jets and appear to be actively running away from explosions. * If the teaser video is any indication, it appears that a variety of melee weapons may be available in Left 4 Dead 2, as the four survivors are seen wielding a chainsaw, fire axe, baseball bat, and even a frying pan. In the first game, the only melee attack available was a low-damage shove to move enemies aside. It is possible that these new melee weapons may be replacing infinite-ammo pistols, but that is entirely conjecture at this point. * Valve seems to have reused the baseball bat hitting sound from the sound used in Team Fortress 2. Trailers E3 09 thumb|300px|left|''Left 4 Dead 2'' teaser trailer. Screenshots and Concept art Image:Left4Dead2logo.jpg|The official Left 4 Dead 2 logo. Image:The Survivors22.jpg|Current appearance of the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors. Image:Hql4d2s.jpg|The Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors as they appear on the E3 09 trailer. Image:Charger.png|The Charger, a new Special Infected. Image:Chargerback.jpg|A shot from behind the Charger. Image:E3-2009-left-4-dead-2-20090529060947274-000.jpg|Coach and Ellis on a bridge. Image:PCG-620x.jpg|Coach and Rochelle on the magazine cover of PC Gamer August 2009. Image:LoadingscreenL2D.jpg|The loading screen of Left 4 Dead 2. Image:Lobbyscreen.jpg|The main menu of Left 4 Dead 2, not fully revealed. Image:Pipebomb_explode2.jpg|New gameplay enhancements allow pipe bombs to create ragdolls after exploding. External Links * [http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988416p1.html IGN: Left 4 Dead 2 Preview] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_alarm_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Stop the Alarm] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_axeownage_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Axe Ownage] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_dockstart_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Dock Start] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_fireammo_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Fire Ammo] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_fryingpan_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Frying Pan Domination] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_gardenmaze_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Garden Maze] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_kitchensmoker_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Kitchen Smoker] * [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14352245/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_saferoom_052809.html IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Safe Room] References Category:Left 4 Dead 2